The Perfect Gift
by NellieTrelawney
Summary: Sybill wants to get the perfect Christmas present for Regulus, but there's not much the wealthy heir doesn't already have.


_**(A/N: This fic is part of the Christmas Advent for the Fairest of the Rare group on Facebook)**_

Sybill Trelawney had never been great at gift-giving. There was too much stress involved with time constraints and finding the right thing for the right person, not to mention the risk of repeat gifts. Add that onto preparing Christmas dinners and attending parties, the young witch was a nervous wreck by the time the holidays rolled around. When it came to her husband of almost a year, though, she was determined to get him the perfect present. It was their first Christmas as a married couple, after all, and she was certain he could do without anymore homemade sweaters only the two of them appreciated. The only problem was that she had no idea where to start. Christmas decorations had already been on display in stores for a month now and she still hadn't settled on what to get him. After weeks of observing him closely, Sybill was starting to come to the conclusion that her husband had hardly any interests beyond Quidditch or food. Having come from one of the wealthiest families in the Wizarding World, there wasn't much that Regulus Black didn't already have.

By the middle of November, she had finally given in. As he entered the kitchen for breakfast that morning, she asked in a resigned tone, "Reggie, what would you like for Christmas this year?"

Regulus shrugged as he yawned and sat down at the table. "Besides spending the morning in bed with you?" he said with a cheeky grin.

Sybill laughed and sat a plate down in front of him before fixing her own. "Yes, besides that."

Shoveling food into his mouth, Regulus thought for a moment before shrugging again. "You always manage to pick out stuff I like. And you know I'm not any good at making lists, why do you ask?"

Sitting down across from him, Sybill began pushing her food across her plate. "I don't know, I just want this to be special. I'm not buying for a silly boyfriend this year, I'm buying for my husband and I want it to be something you really love."

Regulus pouted. "Oh, so for the last four years I've just been some silly boyfriend to you?"

Smiling, the witch pointed her fork at him. "Hush and eat your breakfast."

"Well, let me ask you this," he said through bites of bacon, "what do you want for Christmas?"

Sybill shook her head. "You always buy nice gifts, it doesn't matter what you get me."

"Then there's my answer. Surprise me."

Sybill's mouth drew into a thin line, but she said nothing more about the subject. As the two carried on with breakfast and discussed the terribly gaudy decorations the neighbors had set out, her mind was never far from what her special gift would be.

As a few weeks passed, Sybill found herself growing desperate. She had already bought a few filler gifts, but nothing stood out to her no matter how hard she tried. Finally, she decided to enlist the help of a friend. If anyone could help her, it was Pandora Lovegood. But as the two witches trekked through the shops of Diagon Alley, and even a few muggle stores, the search began to feel just as hopeless as before despite Pandora's many suggestions.

"Why not make him a butterbeer cork necklace? Nargles are even more troublesome this time of year with all the mistletoe around."

Sybill shook her head. "He's not really one for jewelry."

"A new broom?" Pandora asked as they passed a display for the latest model.

"I already bought one and I'm sure he suspects." Sybill groaned. "At this rate, I'll never find what I'm looking for."

"And what's that?"

Sybill paused in confusion. "What?"

"What are you looking for?"

Pale blue eyes watched her intently as she tried to come up with a response. "I… I don't really know."

Pandora smiled, looking lost in her own train of thought. "And that's perfectly alright. Perhaps when you stop searching so hard, the perfect gift will present itself to you."

Sybill scowled, but couldn't help the smile playing on her lips. "Was that a pun?"

"Of course. And who knows… the perfect gift may have already found its way to you," Pandora added cryptically, pecking Sybill on the cheek before heading for the Potions section.

Taking her best friend's advice, Sybill eventually allowed herself to focus on the other aspects of Christmas Day, working her way through what food to fix, decorating the house, and mailing out cards to friends. Just as Pandora had predicted, the gift revealed itself in the most wonderful and unexpected way. Now with only a few days left before Christmas, Sybill was practically bursting with excitement. The sudden change in her attitude had even piqued Regulus' interest in what she was getting him.

"Just a hint?" he teased as she ushered him away from their bedroom one day, clutching a package close to her chest.

"I thought you wanted me to surprised you," she answered, giving him a quick kiss before shutting the door in his face.

When Christmas morning finally arrived, Sybill was all but dragging Regulus down the stairs to open presents. Taking turns opening their gifts, it wasn't long before they were down to Regulus' last gift. Sybill could barely contain herself as he began tearing off the wrapping. Seconds felt like hours until at last he was finally opening the cardboard packaging and pulling out a specialized coffee mug.

Regulus chuckled. "Is this a hint for me to stop using up all of your tea cups?"

Sybill's heart was pounding too much to laugh at the joke. Shaking her head, she turned the mug around for him to read the print across it. She bit her lip anxiously as she waited for his reaction.

"'World's Best Dad?'"

Regulus looked up at his wife with wide eyes, struggling to process what was happening. "We're… I'm going to…" He sat in a stunned silence for a moment, unable to find his words. "H-how far are you?"

"Almost five weeks." Despite her nerves, she couldn't help the smile growing on her face. Tears threatened to fall and she had to fight the urge not to throw her arms around his neck.

A huge smile broke out across his face. "I'm going to be a dad?" He laughed, looking back down at the mug with tears in his own eyes.

Sybill sat up on her knees and crawled over to him, unable to stay still any longer. Regulus set his gift back down before pulling her into his lap.

"What do you think? Are we up to it?" she teased, wiping away a few tears.

Regulus could only nod, still trying to overcome his initial shock. "I… I couldn't have asked for anything better," he said, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "I love you, Sybill." Holding her tighter, he rested a hand on her stomach.

Sybill lay her hand on top of his, overjoyed by the perfect little gift they had created. "I love you, too, Reggie."


End file.
